Being a teacher, it is only natural that I have an obsession with what life is like for teachers all around the world. Tonight, I came across this video while reading an article on NPR about an entire community in Alaska that lives in the same building year-round. The video features a grade school teacher, Erika Thompson, and how she lives her life there. Check out the video below, and if you want to read the article or hear the story, you can do so here.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Project Overview: Music Video
Ever since I started teaching Digital Media last year, my student shave BEGGED to do music videos as a project. I always refused the project adamantly because the majority of student-made music videos I had seen online were frankly, quite terrible. Nevertheless, after 3 semesters of pleading, I finally decided to give into the music video project, and am so glad that I did.
To begin, I wanted to make sure that the students had a good understanding about the history of music videos because while I grew up on MTV actually SHOWING music videos, this generation has no idea about TRL or what a music video countdown is. Below is the presentation I use to begin the unit; the students LOVED it and we always ended up looking up our favorite music videos at the end of the class:
To present the project, I used this presentation below. It includes the criteria, timeline, and rubric. Within the presentation I also embedded a YouTube playlist of music videos that showcase an actual storyline rather than just people performing. I wanted my students to understand that the greatest music videos are the ones that feel like short films with the perfect soundtrack, which I really felt they understood.
The project took around two and a half weeks from start to finish. The students did an incredible job and it turned out being one of my favorite projects from all of my classes. Below is the playlist of the top videos from my 2 Digital Filmmaking classes for your viewing pleasure. I hope your students enjoy the project as much as mine!
To begin, I wanted to make sure that the students had a good understanding about the history of music videos because while I grew up on MTV actually SHOWING music videos, this generation has no idea about TRL or what a music video countdown is. Below is the presentation I use to begin the unit; the students LOVED it and we always ended up looking up our favorite music videos at the end of the class:
To present the project, I used this presentation below. It includes the criteria, timeline, and rubric. Within the presentation I also embedded a YouTube playlist of music videos that showcase an actual storyline rather than just people performing. I wanted my students to understand that the greatest music videos are the ones that feel like short films with the perfect soundtrack, which I really felt they understood.
The project took around two and a half weeks from start to finish. The students did an incredible job and it turned out being one of my favorite projects from all of my classes. Below is the playlist of the top videos from my 2 Digital Filmmaking classes for your viewing pleasure. I hope your students enjoy the project as much as mine!
Project Overview: Singapore Shorts
Last semester, I gave my Digital Filmmaking students the challenge of creating informative shorts. It was a new genre of video that I was venturing into, so I wasn't quite sure how they students would feel about the challenge and how the videos would turn out. Luckily, my students are rock stars and completely dominated the project.
Here is the overview that I pitched them with, along with the grading rubric:
You have just found out that your best friend from the States is moving to Singapore in the new year and has sent you the following Facebook message:
Your challenge for this upcoming project is to take one aspect of Singaporean culture, be it food, transportation, sayings, holidays, neighborhoods, traditions, and make a 1-2 minute short about it's origins and how it pertains to Singaporean culture. Your goal is to make the video as interesting and informative as possible; you want to make a video for any teenager that is moving to Singapore, therefore you should have the most relevant information for a teenager. Below is the project overview document & grading rubric:
Once the project wrapped and we premiered the films, I asked the students what they thought about the project. Several of them said that while it wasn't the most entertaining project they had worked on, it was one of the more useful ones for them because it gave them a chance to experiment with taking information and presenting in a way that appeals to a particular audience. These shorts also got a more attention outside of school than I thought because through students' connections, individuals started using the films to inform others about Singapore. Authentic audience win!
Check out our Singapore Shorts playlist below and feel free modify the project for your own classroom. Enjoy!
Here is the overview that I pitched them with, along with the grading rubric:
You have just found out that your best friend from the States is moving to Singapore in the new year and has sent you the following Facebook message:
Your challenge for this upcoming project is to take one aspect of Singaporean culture, be it food, transportation, sayings, holidays, neighborhoods, traditions, and make a 1-2 minute short about it's origins and how it pertains to Singaporean culture. Your goal is to make the video as interesting and informative as possible; you want to make a video for any teenager that is moving to Singapore, therefore you should have the most relevant information for a teenager. Below is the project overview document & grading rubric:
Once the project wrapped and we premiered the films, I asked the students what they thought about the project. Several of them said that while it wasn't the most entertaining project they had worked on, it was one of the more useful ones for them because it gave them a chance to experiment with taking information and presenting in a way that appeals to a particular audience. These shorts also got a more attention outside of school than I thought because through students' connections, individuals started using the films to inform others about Singapore. Authentic audience win!
Check out our Singapore Shorts playlist below and feel free modify the project for your own classroom. Enjoy!
Friday, January 16, 2015
Using Adobe Voice
Recently, I signed up for an Adobe Digital Creativity course with my friend, Heather Dowd, in order to infuse my creativity skills with some new ideas and projects for my classes. Since I began teaching Digital Media at SAS last year, my students' skills have grown exponentially and several of them have started to ask me about After Effects and Photoshop, which pushed me to take this class. I am really enjoying it so far, and have been introduced to some great programs to get creative with. Our first assignment in this course was to make an Adobe Voice about either ourselves or someone else taking part in the program, so naturally I made mine about Heather. :)
For those of you who don't know what Adobe Voice is, it is an app for the iPad/iPhone that helps you create animated videos quite simply. You don't need to film at all, you just talk to tell your story, and choose photos, icons, and beautiful themes to show your ideas. They also have great soundtracks and transitions to add to the video.
Below is my Adobe Video for Heather, I am challenging myself to find some uses for it in my classroom since I have an iPad mini cart at my disposal right now. How would you use Adobe Voice in your classroom?
For those of you who don't know what Adobe Voice is, it is an app for the iPad/iPhone that helps you create animated videos quite simply. You don't need to film at all, you just talk to tell your story, and choose photos, icons, and beautiful themes to show your ideas. They also have great soundtracks and transitions to add to the video.
Below is my Adobe Video for Heather, I am challenging myself to find some uses for it in my classroom since I have an iPad mini cart at my disposal right now. How would you use Adobe Voice in your classroom?
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